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ShareSuparna Thombare talks to the man who loves art as much as life - all with a zest
The paintings and posters begin from the entrance of the house - there's The Magic Flute poster by Mozart, Verdi's Otello, works by Scottish painter Allan Ramsay and several others from his travels to Europe. They lead you to his second-floor apartment in hughes Road.
Inside, the walls are have all the famous faces staring back at you -Asha Bhosale, Madhuri Dixit and others. These are his works of art. "A Lintas creative head once told me the story of a 64-year-old man who had worked for a corporate company all his life," says Gautam Rajadhyakha.
"Once he retired, he didn't know what to do with his life since he didn't have any hobbies. He had just worked, worked and worked. One day he just disappeared-he died. Me -- I have always converted my hobbies into a profession, and I continue to do so," he adds.
Rajadhyaksha is best known for his portraits of celluloid's most beautiful heroines, but very few know that he was 37 when he became seriously involved with photography. He has worked with Lintas for 15 years. Film scripts (Bekhudi and Anjaam), editorship of Marathi magazine Chanderi, and writng about operas ("the oxygen of my life") are other hobbies he has turned into his work.
Considering the reams of coverage his work would get in the press earlier, does he feelthat the spotlight has shifted to new artists? "I'm doing as much work now as I did earlier. But once you grow older, the focus shifts to the younger lot," he says.
"But that does not mean anything. I was never a mainstream photographer anyway. There is no need to be a part of the rat race. It is said that you are as old as you think are. But I think you are as old as your work demands! If you look at me- I'm juggling several things at the same time," he says.
At 57, Rajadhyaksha says that he is at his best. "People think changes happen when you age but that is the perception of others. Age is a perception in itself. I don't think I'm old. I have loads of energy, and lots of ideas to work on." He has just finished writing the script of the Marathi film Saath Janmachi starring Ashok Saraf and Sonali Kulkarni. And is in the process of finishing two Hindi scripts.
"Age brings a lot of experience, and experience is life. For instance, I first mooted the idea of this music project in 1991, but I wasn't equipped enough to handle it. Today I have the wealth of knowledge, and I understand a lot more. Now I'm eligible to handle it," he explains with a lot of animation, sitting almost on the edge of his seat.
So what is the one quality that he has now that he didn't have back in the youthful days? "Maturity and patience that come from experience. It is now, that I realise that my pace and energy used to make other people nervous."
Though he has always done well at whatever he has dabbled in, he explains that the self doubts he had earlier have completely disappeared. "When I was younger I had doubts about myself, about projects I would undertake and about whether I will perform well or not. Those doubts have vanished now. This is the best time to do what you want to without feeling the pressure to perform or do well."
Rajadhyaksha thinks he could have done a much better job with his scripts if he had written them now. "I would have done a far, far better job. But there is no point in tinkering."
Despite a career of three-decades, Rajadhyaksha thinks he still has a lot left to explore. He has been reading up books, watching movies and listening to a plethora of music. "If you have a goal and you achieve it, what do you do next? I think it's best to just dream. Once one dream gets fulfilled, dream about something else. Keep dreaming because dreams are phantasmagorical."
